A reset of the BlackBerry smartphone is a troubleshooting method that completely turns off and restarts the BlackBerry smartphone's operating system software and applications. It is a useful step if the BlackBerry smartphone is experiencing hardware, software, or wireless network related issues.

Note:

A reset of a BlackBerry smartphone does not delete any settings or data.

It is normal behavior for a BlackBerry smartphone to take several minutes to completely start up following a reset.

There are two options for performing a reset: a hard reset and a soft reset.

Hard Reset

Note: A Hard Reset can not be performed for the following phones: (battery cannot be removed)

Z30

Q5

Z3

To perform a hard reset on the BlackBerry smartphone, complete the following steps:

Remove the battery cover from the back of the smartphone.

Remove the battery, and then reinsert it after a few seconds.

Replace the battery cover.

Soft Reset

To perform a soft reseton the BlackBerry 10 smartphone, complete one of the following:

Press and hold the Power key for 10 seconds.

Press and hold the Volume up key and the Volume down key at the same time for 10 seconds.

To perform a soft reset, on BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry 7 and earlier, complete the following steps:

Note: This method is only available on BlackBerry smartphone models with a QWERTY keyboard. Do not attempt to perform a soft reset on BlackBerry smartphones that are equipped with SureType technology or the SurePress touch screen, such as the BlackBerry Pearl Series, BlackBerry Pearl Flip Series, and BlackBerry Storm smartphone.

Press and hold the Alt key.

While holding down the Alt key, press and hold the right Shift key.

While holding down the Alt key and right Shift key, press the Backspace/Delete key.

The display on the BlackBerry smartphone will turn off to indicate that the reset has started. The keys can now be released.

Note: The Alt key, right Shift key, and Backspace/Delete keys are not displayed the same on some BlackBerry smartphones, however, the location of these keys does not change.

Some wireless service providers and third-party device manufacturers have processes called master reset, factory reset, or master clear, which erase all user data and settings on non-BlackBerry devices, restoring them to 'factory default settings' or an 'out of box' state. The Wipe Handheld or Security Wipe features on BlackBerry smartphones perform the same function. For further information on erasing all data or applications from the BlackBerry smartphone, seeKB14058.

The terms Wipe Handheld or Security Wipe should not be confused with performing a Reset to Factory. A Reset to Factory erases all user data and settings along with any existing IT policy from the BlackBerry smartphone, but does not remove third party applications. For more information on and steps to perform a Reset to Factory, seeKB21918.

To reset a legacy BlackBerry device (Research In Motion (RIM) 850, 857, 950, 957 devices), insert the end of a paper clip into the small hole on the back of the device.